Worth Dying For
by thejealousone
Summary: Ginny shares a special moment with her father. Missing moment from OotP


_JK Rowling owns it all. _

_I'm fairly certain I'm dedicating this short one-shot to HermesThriceGreat, who has been wanting to see this scene since August 2007._

_You can now find this scene in chapter 8: We, Dumbledore's Army in my novel "In the Words of Ginevra Molly Potter." In order to understand certain elements from this particular story, you might want to read the novel. _

_If you liked this one-shot, I encourage you to check out my other stuff._

**Worth Dying For**

Dad had been attacked while on duty for the Order of the Phoenix. Harry had seen, _no_, he had _been _the snake that almost killed my father. I couldn't wrap my head around that until years later when we finally learned the relationship between Voldemort and Harry. Harry had saved my father's life. If he had not seen what that snake had done, my father would have died. It was frightening, yes, that Harry was connected like this to Voldemort, but if not for him, we would have had to bury Arthur Weasley.

After we said goodbye to Dad, I allowed each of my family members and mentors to exit the room first. I lingered behind, reaching the door and pausing. I placed my hand on the door frame as I hoped Dad would notice my hesitance. After a second, I was about to move again.

"Ginny," Dad called me, "do you need to talk to me about something?"

I stopped and turned back to my father. As I nodded, I walked back towards his bed. I felt horrible inside and I needed to talk to him alone, without the watchful eyes of my brothers. I fought back tears as I journeyed near.

He took my hand as I came closer. "Hey," he said, squeezing it tightly, "it's just me in here. You don't have to be so tough all the time. When haven't you been able to cry in front of me?"

I wrapped my arms around him and gave a big sob. "I was so scared," I whispered into his chest. All of a sudden, all my frustration over the past 24 hours, all the troubles I had been bottling up, came spilling from my eyes in big, hot tears.

"Shh," Dad soothed, stroking my hair. "I'm perfectly fine. I'll be out of here in no time, you know that."

"I… I… know…"

"Is anything else bothering you?"

The question opened up the dam. "I've been fighting with Michael, and, and… he doesn't understand me," I said, hiccupping. I felt myself slowly reverting to a child-like demeanor, but I didn't care in that moment. "He takes it easy on m-m-me. I'm not his equal. I'm just helpless to h-h-him.

"And I'm trying my best to get over Harry," I continued. "And I'm trying to be nice to Cho, even though she is completely the wrong person for Harry… and… I saw them together, Dad, under mistletoe…

"Then…" I hiccupped. "Then you… I almost lost you."

Dad chuckled, lifting my chin to look into my eyes. "There's my little girl," he said.

I managed to laugh between the hiccupping spasms. "I'm not little," I muttered.

Dad smiled, his light eyes sparkling. "I thought I told you that you'll _always _be my little girl," he said. "Relationships take work, Ginny," he said. "You're not going to get it right on the first try. You've got to be willing to give a little if you expect Michael to give a little as well."

I grunted.

He took his index finger and tapped my forehead twice. "It wouldn't hurt to allow him inside your head either," he suggested.

"No," I said quickly.

"You've _always _been so independent, Gin," Dad said, "but you've never kept people out. Don't let what happened in the Chamber ruin the relationships you have. You do that, and You-Know-Who has already won."

I nodded.

"And if he still doesn't treat you as you should be treated, you let me know," he replied, balling his hand into a fist. "Daddy will take care of him."

I laughed. "Thanks, Dad," I said, snuggling up closer to him. I caught a whiff of the familiar scent of the Burrow. "I was really scared," I whispered. "And angry. Sirius wouldn't allow us to leave."

"He did the right thing," Dad said. "You don't understand it yet, Ginny, but these are things your Mum and I believe very passionately in. Sometime what we _want _doesn't matter."

I frowned, not liking the idea of my dad suggesting what I thought he was suggesting. "Is it really worth dying for?" I asked.

Without hesitation, Dad said yes. "Do I like being shacked up because a snake bit me?" He shook his head. "No," he replied, "but if that's what it takes to create perfect world for _you, _then I think that's a goal worth dying for." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Maybe you're still too young. I hope one day you'll understand."

"Ginny," Mum called from the doorway, "it's time to leave."

"She'll be right out, Molly," Dad said. When Mum walked back out, Dad said, "I bet you're worried about Harry as well. I assume the twins had their Extendable Ears."

I bit my lip and nodded.

"I saw your faces when you walked back in," Dad said, "but Harry's expression worried me the most. He barely said goodbye."

"Moody said You-Know-Who is possessing him," I replied.

Dad nodded. "Talk to him," he suggested. "You're the only one who can even begin to relate what he's going through. He's going to blame himself for this. Can you be there for him?"

I swallowed apprehensively. "I'll try," I admitted, "but I don't know if he'll listen."

"He'll listen," Dad said conclusively. "And if he doesn't, just bring out that famous Ginny temper and he won't be able to ignore you." He winked at me.

As he wiped the dampness from my cheeks, I said with a large smile, "Don't you dare tell anyone how much I cried in here."

"Get out of here," he said, playfully pushing me away. As I got to my feet, he said, "Don't forget anything I said. I love you, Ginny."

"I love you, too."


End file.
